WINNER: DONNA FERJANI AND FIONA HALE SPONSORED BY GREEN PARK
Donna Ferjani and Fiona Hale were given the Local Hero award, sponsored by Green Park.
It comes after Peter Carey fell to the floor, suffering a cardiac arrest, while cycling home from a football match in Reading.
Donna performed CPR and Fiona, another motorist who had stopped, took over under Donna’s instructions and those from the 999 operator to try to revive him.
Their actions kept Mr Carey alive until paramedics arrived.
Fiona Hale was joined by Ken Duggan, her nominee, and Mr Carey, whose life was saved by the actions of the award winners, to collect to accolade.
Mr Duggan said following the event: “I nominated Fiona and Donna for the Local Hero award because they both jumped out of separate cars to perform CPR on Peter, who I’ve worked with for about 27 years.
“I’d managed to set them all up to meet via social media, and I felt that people often need to be reminded that there are good people out there, and Fiona and Donna are world-class.
“It’s an honour to be here to represent Donna.”
Ms Hale said of her actions: “I was driving along, and we noticed some cars had stopped – I found Donna assessing what had happened to Peter as she was a nurse.
“She started CPR, so I backed her up until the ambulance arrived and paramedics took over.
“We’re really happy to be in the situation we are today, with Peter doing well.”
Speaking of her nomination, she said: “Ken’s friend is a police officer, who helped to find me, and I wasn’t interested in any recognition, but they explained that it could raise awareness of using CPR.
“I wonder what it means to be proud of someone; when the 999 operator was speaking to me at the time, she said somebody had to be confident to start CPR.
“That person was Donna – she stepped forward, we got Peter into position and she started.
“I kept thinking that the only people in the world in that moment were me, Donna, and this man who I didn’t know.
“But if you push through your fear and have courage, you can make a very big difference, and there can be goodness in the world.
“That’s why we’re here today, because people are good.”
Mr Carey said of the winners: “You come to events like this and you see so many people helping others – it’s the least they deserve.
“They did something that other people didn’t or couldn’t.”
Former Reading MP Lord Sharma stopped at the scene too and in a video praised the actions of the pair.
